Increase in urgent care for patients with an eating disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic in a Spanish province

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on people's mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) are also highly sensitive to the pandemic situation due to their physical and mental health. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on the reasons for the urgent care of patients with an eating disorder, comparing the reasons for care with those from a previous period. Method We compared the visits to the emergency room and their characteristics before and after the pandemic of patients with an eating disorder in the province of Lleida. Information regarding sociodemographic status, reason for consultation, diagnosis, characteristics of suicidal behaviour, and other data were obtained from the electronic medical records. Results Within the total emergency attendances, eating disorders increased from 1.7% in the pre-pandemic period to 3.1% during the pandemic (p = 0.030). Regarding the reason for consultation, a change in the pattern is observed, decreasing consultations for anxious decompensation (p